EgyptAir has announced that beginning on September 4, 2023, it will commence direct flights between Cairo International Airport (CAI), the largest hub in Egypt, and São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport (GRU). Currently, Guarulhos has two other direct routes available from Africa.
Cairo-Sao Paulo-Cairo direct flights
The flights will be charters and 100% operated by Spain’s largest air consolidator, MasterFlights, following an agreement signed on March 16, 2023, in Cairo, with the presence of EgyptAir leaders and Alfonso Martinez, CEO of MasterFlights. The story was first reported by Brazil’s media outlet Mercado & Eventos. The new service will be operated on a weekly basis, every Monday, for the next 12 months.
Joao Pita, Commercial Director at Guarulhos International, said in a statement posted on LinkedIn:
“We do have big news at GRU Airport – Aeroporto Internacional de São Paulo! Egyptair and MasterFlights will start a weekly charter to São Paulo in September with good odds to expand the number of weekly operations. The route between Cairo and São Paulo has been on our wish list for a long time. This is how to stimulate and promote new destinations: good airlines, products, excellent marketing and sales team, and hard work. Cargo is a plus on such a long route.”
EgyptAir’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which has 309 seats, will transport passengers, with 279 seats in economy class and 30 in business class.
These flights have received approval from Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC). In addition to the direct flights between Cairo and São Paulo, the charter flights will also offer domestic connections within Egypt and to Tel Aviv, Amman, Dubai, and Istanbul. The service will be formally presented at the World Travel Market Latin America (WTM-LA), held in São Paulo from April 3 to 5, 2023.
According to Alfonso Martinez, the CEO of MasterFlights, Brazilian operators and travel agencies will have the chance to participate in EgyptAir’s much-awaited project. If the initial service is prosperous, there are plans to increase the number of flights. A second weekly flight may begin in May 2024, with connections to Buenos Aires, Argentina. A third weekly flight, exclusively to Guarulhos, may start in September 2024.
For almost a year, EgyptAir has been in discussions with Brazilian authorities. During ITB 2023, the airline expressed its interest in the Brazilian market while conversing with representatives of the São Paulo Tourism Secretariat and Visite São Paulo. EgyptAir also disclosed that it plans to conduct charter flights as opposed to regular operations because entering and departing Brazil results in double taxation due to the absence of commercial agreements between the countries.
Non-stop flights from Egypt to Brazil were in demand
The new non-stop flights connecting Brazil and Egypt are anticipated to enhance connectivity, as well as economic and commercial relationships between the two countries. Additionally, it will offer more travel options for tourists from both regions.
According to ch-aviation data, EgyptAir currently possesses a fleet of 74 aircraft. For long-haul segments, it employs six Boeing 787 Dreamliner 9s, six B777-300(ER)s, four Airbus A330-200s, and four A330-300s. Additionally, the airline operates 12 Airbus A220-300s, three A320ceos, eight A320neos, one A321neo, and 28 Boeing 737-800s, along with several cargo aircraft.
